Whisker Tales
by Angel Erin Arcturus
Summary: Follow the people of the Nekomata Empire as they face a new danger. The world is coming apart at its seams and its up to the people of a small village to set it right. Only for mature readers, because I like to annoy them.
1. Chapter 1

1.1 Stray Whiskers

Good morning! Welcome to the world of Glowreed. I will be your guide. You can call me Lampelo. The journey you are about to embark on is rife with fantasy and danger and only the most cautious individuals will be able to keep their feet on the road. Without further ado, I will illuminate the path before us.

_The fairie lady Lampelo, as spoken to man on his first step into this world._

"Slow down, Cherry, I can't keep up!" Lupe cried.

"You're so slow, Lupe, I could outrun you going backward!"

"Don't be a showoff!"

"Don't me a hedgehog," Cherry retorted.

Cherry tripped over a log and fell in a puddle with a great splash.

Lupe stopped to catch her breath, "Serves… you… right."

"Ha ha, funny. Let's go home, My hair's all full of dirt and muck."

"Okay, but let's walk."

"Hey! What's that? A horse?"

"It's a monequestr!" Lupe shouted excitedly.

"In the garden? Certainly not!"

"See! It's got a horn!"

"I don't believe it."

There was rather a lot to believe. Monequestr are rare mammals that feed on lucia oats and live mainly in the area of the Soiret Downs on the northwestern peninsula of Galia. A rare sight in the forests of Felein to be sure. The poor thing had gotten its horn stuck fast in the holly tree in the corner of the garden.

"Do you think she'll let me pet her?" Lupe asked enthusiastically.

"How should I know? And besides, it's a boy."

"How can you tell?"

"It, well, it— Don't!"

Lupe set her paw on the monequestr's mane and began to stoke it.

"He's so cute!"

"Just don't impale yourself on that horn," Cherry cautioned. "I'm going to stand over here, where it's safe."

"You wouldn't hurt a fly, would you boy?" Lupe purred.

"I think it would be a good idea if we told Sapphire about this."

"Why?"

"Monequestr don't live around here. It could be lost or confused."

"Do you think he'll let me ride him?"

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Huh?"

"Would you get down?" Cherry almost shouted.

Lupe slid off the monequestr's back and landed on her bottom with a thud.

"Isn't there some saying that we always land on our feet?" Lupe asked, brushing dirt off her tail.

"Apparently not."

"Should we take her with us?"

"How can we? His horn is stuck. We should get Sapphire to help."

Cherry and Lupe ran back to the house, passing Ferrous on the way.

"Hey there, Cherry, Lupe!"

"Hello, Ferrous," Cherry replied over her shoulder.

"Can't talk, see you later."

Ferrous walked away, still scratching his head over the energy of youth. He was on his way to his garden patch when, looking at his neighbor's, he spotted the monequestr. He gave a start and gaped in shock. A grin slowly crept across his face. He crept close to it. The monequestr tried to shy away from him. Ferrous's black coat looked a bit like a wolf's to the monequestr.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Good horsey," crooned Ferrous.

This was not a good idea. If Ferrous had known anything about monequestr, he wouldn't have called it 'horsey.' Monequestr do not like to be called that. Sometimes they even kick people for saying it.

Ferrous crawled away and rose up on his haunches, rubbing his stomach. Monequestr have strong legs.

"That hurt. You didn't have to kick me, you know."

"Ferrous, what are you up to now?"

Saimon had shown up. His orange tail swishing back and forth in annoyance, he advanced on Ferrous.

"Saimon, how good to see you! Go away."

"I know you're up to something devious and I'm not leaving until I find out what," Saimon said.

"Could you use your eyes for once? What's this thing behind me?"

"I say!" exclaimed Saimon. "It's a monequestr! I had no idea they lived around here!"

"They don't. This one's lost. I was just going to… help it get home."

"That's not like you, Ferrous. Usually you try to sell anything you find… Wait a minute! You were lying, weren't you?"

"Your understanding of sarcasm is astounding," Ferrous said sarcastically.

"I have been studying, yes. You've gone too far this time. I will not permit you to sell this creature."

"What? What're you doing?"

"I'm taking you to the magistrate."

"Unhand me! This is ridiculous! I haven't even done anything!"

"Yet," Saimon finished.

A few minutes later, Lupe and Cherry came back with Sapphire.

"What do you think, Sapphire, huh? What do you think?" Lupe asked.

"Calm down, Lupe," Cherry said.

"I don't know yet. We'll see," was Sapphire's response.

Sapphire inspected the monequester's horn, then checked its hooves. She sniffed the monequestr's mane and ran it through her fingers.

"So? Is she alright?" Lupe asked excitedly.

"Actually, Lupe, this is a male monequestr," corrected Sapphire, "And it seems healthy. We just need to pull its horn out of the trunk and it should be fine."

"Can we keep it, please?" Lupe begged.

"A monequestr is not a pet. It is an animal of the downs. We can't keep it here."

"How do you think it got here, anyway?" Cherry asked.

"From the smell of its mane, and its lack of proper hygiene, I'd say that humans brought it here."

"Humans?" Lupe rolled the word around on her tongue.

"Beings that can think like us, but they have no tails and long, thin fingers. They have only a little hair, most of it on their head, and cover themselves with other things to keep warm."

"They sound disgusting," Cherry said disgustedly.

"Indeed. Now we should find a way to get the horn out of the wood. Ah, here come Ferrous and Saimon."

"-So you can see, it was all for the benefit of the monequestr."

"I guess I had you pegged wrong the whole time," said Saimon.

"Saimon, Ferrous!"

"Lady Sapphire! How are you today? Ah, and your little sisters, too. Miss Lupe, miss Cherry."

"Saimon! We found a monequestr!" Lupe said excitedly.

"Did you now? That's strange. Ferrous and I found one also. It was somewhere around here."

"Is it this one?"

"Why yes it is!" exclaimed Saimon.

"We've been thinking of a way to get the monequestr's horn free of the tree and it only just occurred to me. You and Ferrous and both fine, strapping young cu sith, Saimon."

"Indeed we are," replied Saimon, puffing out his chest as Ferrous groaned.

"Then why don't you each grab hold of the horn and pull on it."

"A splendid idea, miss Sapphire! Come, Ferrous! Let us free this monequestr!"

Saimon and Ferrous took hold of the horn and pulled. A moment later, there was a little pop and the monequestr was free. It made a little bow on one knee, then took off running, perhaps a little slower than it had before, so that it did not hit another tree.

"That was amazing!" gasped Lupe.

"Thank you," Saimon said, rubbing a paw on the corner of his mouth.

"Don't gloat so much, Saimon," Cherry mock-scolded.

"I'll race you home, Cherry!" Lupe shouted, taking off.

"Lupe! Get back here!" Cherry called, running after her.

"Oh, my! Slow down, you could trip!" Saimon cried, giving chase.

"Ngya," ngyaed Ferrous.

"Up here, Ferrous," Sapphire said.

"S- Sorry, Sapphire. They're… distracting."

"Is that a compliment? That's unusual."

"I only ever speak of you with the utmost respect," Ferrous said indignantly.

"Does that respect extend to a discount?" Sapphire asked sweetly.

"Not at this point."


	2. Chapter 2

1.2 Lost Whiskers

So long as there is a sun to light the day and stars, the night, the sea washes the shores and the wind buffets the mountains, this land will be yours to live on. The land where you laugh, the land where you weep, the land where you die.

_Ferias, nymph of the Sacred Olive tree, covenant made to the people of the Burrow at the ascension ceremony._

"How about a comedy? I want to hear a comedy!" pouted Cherry.

"No, a love story! Bring on the romance," argued Lupe.

"That's so childish, Lupe!"

"It's not childish! It's beautiful!"

"Um, excuse me."

"You never had good taste, lil' sis."

"No fair, Cherry! Just because you're older, doesn't mean you get to pick!"

"Um, excuse me."

"You need to grow up," Cherry teased.

"Real mature. Playing the bust card. That is _so_ like you, Cherry!"

"Um, excuse me."

"WHAT?"

"*cough* Might I suggest a romantic comedy?" said Silver.

Lupe and Cherry traded glances.

"Sure," they agreed.

As the three sat down to read the story, Sapphire entered the sitting room.

"Have you two been arguing again? I thought I heard shouting."

"You must be hearing things, Sapphire. We were just about to sit down to read Harry Potter and the Magnificent Farce. Do you want to hear it, too?" asked Cherry.

"Sorry, but you know I'm teaching today and I was on my way to the door. I see Ferrous is running up the walk. I hope it's nothing important."

At that moment, Ferrous reached the door and began knocking on the door.

"Coming, Ferrous. Hold your gryphons."

The door opened to reveal Ferrous on the front step, his black hair ruffled with worry.

"Sorry to trouble you, Sapphire," panted Ferrous, "but I can't find Fey. She didn't arrive for work in the shop today and I'm a bit worried that something might have happened to her."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know that she lives in the mushroom glen. There's not many people out there. She could have fallen out of her tree and broke her leg or been attacked by hobgoblins or something. I was going to go out there and check on her."

"Let me guess, you're too afraid to go alone, right?" said Sapphire snidely.

"You could put it like that, yes."

"I'm terribly sorry, but I have teaching duty today."

"I could help you, Ferrous," volunteered Silver.

"This is in the far western reaches of the forest. They're a dangerous place for the inexperienced. Are you sure you're up to it?"

"Of course I am, Ferrous, and besides I've got to learn sometime."

Cherry was upset by this turn of events and expressed it thus, "What? I thought you were going to read to us."

"Don't worry, Cherry, I can read to you two another day. I'll tell you what. I'll visit again tomorrow. Then I'll read for as long as you want. How does that sound?"

"Oh… all right."

"How is your breathing, Silver? We don't want you fainting out there."

"I'll be fine, lady Sapphire. That medicine you made me really did the trick."

"Don't overexert yourself, okay?"

"Good-bye, Cherry, Lupe!"

"Good-bye, Silver! Bye, Ferrous!"

Sapphire, Lupe, and Cherry waved goodbye, then returned to the house.

"I need you girls to behave while I'm gone, okay? No fighting."

"Come on, Sapphire, you know us," persuaded Cherry.

"Yes. Yes I do."

"Do you want to read?"

"No. Do you?"

"No."

"Then what do you want to do?"

"…You could read to me."

^,^

"I've never been to this part of the forest," Silver said reverently. "It is so beautiful."

"Yes, it is," Ferrous murmured

"Are you alright, Ferrous?"

"What? Yes, I'm fine."

Ferrous leapt over a pile of fallen trees. Silver climbed slowly over it.

"You seem pretty distracted."

Ferrous didn't answer, but instead studied the next jump. He jumped to the large elm tree hanging over the bank of the river. From there he jumped across the river, onto the opposite bank. Silver tossed him the other end of a long rope. After tying his end to the tree, Silver crawled across on the rope.

"How does Fey do this every day?" Silver said to himself.

Ferrous gave an involuntary squeak.

"What's up?"

"N-Nothing."

Silver eyed Ferrous closer. His black hair was decidedly unkempt and lines of worry creased his fur.

"You're really worried about her, aren't you?"

"Shut up!" Ferrous growled, stomping off into the trees.

"Hey, wait for me!" cried Silver, giving chase.

Ferrous quickly left Silver behind, and it was not long before he was lost. The close trees began to feel oppressive. His breath quickened and he began to feel a coldness traveling up from his paws. The path had to be there somewhere, he told himself fervently. The light from the sun was becoming uncomfortably distant.

He crawled to the base of a tall sycamore tree and stared into the dark, rustling undergrowth around him. The wolves of the forest were about, surely. Great, savage beasts they were, four feet tall with 200 rt. of muscle to back its claim to its prey. He would surely be trapped in the darkness of the forest, unable to escape their hungry maws.

Fortunately for Ferrous, he wasn't in that part of the forest. Wolves avoid large concentrations of nekomata. Little did he know, Ferrous just happened to be lying at the base of a treehouse on the edge of an outlying nekomata village.

"Hey, Ferrous!"

"I must be dreaming," Ferrous whispered to himself. "It can't be."

It was.

"Ferrous! What in the world are you doing here?" asked Fey.

"Fey! Oh, goddess! Where did you come from?"

"Where did _I_ come from? Well, that's a long story. I'll start from the beginning. You see, my parents first met in the fall of '67…"

"It is you, Fey! I was afraid I might be hallucinating!"

"Like you could possibly imagine my beauty in such detail. Why are you sleeping on my parent's doorstep?"

"Your parent's doorstep?"

"Yes, this is their house after all. I just came over today because it's their anniversary and… Oh, you aren't here because I forgot to call in, are you?"

"Of course that's why!" exclaimed Ferrous.

"Sorry, it just slipped my mind. Do you want to come in?"

"Yes! Thank heavens, yes!"

"Then you have to say the magic word."

"Really, Fey? Please!"

"Nope, try again."

"For the love of the forest, please let me in!"

"You know what I want to he-ear!" she teased.

"Oh! All right! All right!" he coughed. "'Fey is the most clever and beautiful vixen I have ever set my eyes on. Her eyes are more luminous than the moon and her hair gleams like morning dew. No nekomata since born can match her nerve and wit.' How was that?"

"Great. You can come up now. Watch the first foothold, it's a little slippery."

Ferrous climbed into the tree, watching the first step. Fey helped him onto the little platform that was the front porch. Inside, a warm fire was blazing in the hearth and a blue and a black nekomata were curled up on the sofa. The atmosphere was quite inviting.

"Mum, dad, this is my boss, Ferrous. He was the vagrant sitting at the base of the tree. I forgot to report for work today and he got worried. Isn't that right?"

"Erm- Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you both. I'm sorry I interrupted your day with your daughter."

"It's no problem, please sit down, lad."

"So you're our little Fey's boss. She's told us so much about you. Do shop managers make a lot?" questioned Fey's mother.

"Mum!" cried Fey.

"You remind me greatly of your daughter, madam."

"You have no idea," said Fey's father.


	3. Chapter 3

1.3 Discount Whiskers

There will always be people who cannot provide for themselves. Who's to look out for them? Certainly not the king. He does not know that they truly need help. It is the duty of their family and friends. Those close to you will give aid if you are deserving of it.

_Gammon "Gold Chain" Bankpaws, excerpt from his book,__ The Language of Money__._

"Where did it all go?"

His paws flipped the pages of his account book.

"It can't have just vanished."

A paw slid slowly down the numbers.

"They're adding up, but I can't see how."

Fey looked over his shoulder. Ferrous was agonizing over the accounts. At the rate the sales were dropping, he wouldn't be able to pay the rent on his shop.

"Fey! This is horrible! Do you know what's happened?"

Fey read off the page, "Ferrous was agonizing over the accounts. At the rate the sales were-"

"What are you doing?"

"Eh?"

"What are you doing?"

"I was just reading the- Well, I was finding out what the trouble was. Is there something wrong in that?"

"Never mind. You see, the shop hasn't been selling much, and we need to do something about it."

"Like what?" asked Fey, scratching behind her ear.

"First of all, we could stop taking in new stuff. The back room is already full and we can't afford to buy any more. If we have to, I suppose we could have a sale. That might attract some attention and almost certainly keep us open, but it'd also be taking two steps back. I really hope we don't have to."

Alternatively, they could hold some form of entertainment or social event to attract customers, but Ferrous hadn't thought of that. Sometimes, people who have visited such events will even recommend the business to their friends. Of course, for anyone to learn about them, they need to be well-advertised.

"What about this? We could have an open house. I bet a lot of people would come, and you could show off all the stuff we've got for sale! Maybe they'd even tell their friends about it. We can distribute flyers at the temple and I'm sure Saimon would be willing to help set it up."

"Fey, I hadn't thought of that. You're brilliant! Where did you come up with that?"

"It was just something I thought of."

Bullcrap.

"If we're to hold an open house, I'll need to get the shop fixed up and organize catering and clean the back room and- Oh, there's so much to do! Fey could you clean the back room? I'm going to Sapphire's house to see if she can do the fliers. Then I'll go to the metalworker's for the hinges and the town council for the catering. Thanks, Fey, bye!"

Ferrous slammed the door behind him, causing the hinges to crack ominously.

"Clean the back room? Great work Fey, you've done it again!"

Fey opened the cleaning closet and was nearly crushed by a mountain of cleaning supplies. Today was not turning out as well as she'd hoped.

^.^

"Hello, Sapphire! Are you here?"

"Morning, Mr. Ferrous," answered Cherry, rubbing her eyes. "You're up early."

"It's ten o'clock."

"What? Oh, yeah. That's early to me. What's up?"

"Is Sapphire home? I'd like to ask her about distributing fliers at the temple."

"Nope, sorry. She just left. I can tell her you came by when she gets home, though."

"Thank you, Cherry. How is Silver? Is he upset?"

"Haven't heard. He's too sick to leave his house. He caught cold when he was lost in the woods the other day. Where did you go, anyway?"

"I… also got lost."

"That sounds like you. Goodbye."

She slammed the door in his face. Ferrous sighed and ran to see the metalworker. He had never been good with teens.

"Really? Hinges?"

"Yes. Is there a problem with that?" Ferrous asked nervously.

"No, but I'm still rather upset about my son being abandoned in the middle of the forest."

"It was a mistake and I _did_ find him, didn't I?"

"Sure, eight hours later."

Ferrous bowed his head in silent anguish.

"Well, I suppose I can do it."

"Thank you very much Mr.-"

"-in exchange for that skull you've got hanging over your counter."

"What! That is an extremely rare- This is outra- Why don't- Oh, all right. One skull for a set of hinges."

"Agreed."

Ferrous left the metalworker's shop slightly disappointed and made his way to the council building to speak with the director.

^.^

Fey opened yet another cupboard. This one held a clay pot filled with coins, a tanned skin with blue fur, the teeth of some long forgotten beast, some porcupine quills, an enormous starfish, an intricately carved staff, some rusted knives, an old mill, a few copper coins, and a figure carved from stone.

As with the others before, she swept them out of the cupboard and cleaned it, then set the merchandise in the box at the front of the shop. So far she had found a vast assortment of junk and furniture, as well as a few things she couldn't identify.

"I'm back!" Ferrous said, throwing the door open, making the hinges creak loudly. "Oh, there you are!"

"Great! Now maybe you can help me identify some of this crap."

"Can you take down the skull and wrap it up?"

"What? Why?"

"They're the price for the hinges."

"Ooh, that's a good deal, isn't it?"

"Of course not! My grandfather killed that firedrake!"

"Aren't they endangered?"

"Goodness knows why, being that size," muttered Ferrous angrily as Fey took the skull down.

Ferrous' mood began to improve as he dug through the old stuff in the box.

"Hey! Here's that Empyrean umbrella! I think this is that old mill that makes herring and milk. And there's my old college textbooks!"

"Gee, Ferrous, I never woulda' guessed you went to college," Fey commented snidely.

"Worst years of my life," he said, tossing the book back in the box.

"Then why'd you go?"

"Are you serious? You can't get a job without going to college."

"I've got a job."

"A _good _job."

"It is a good job."

"Minimum wage is good?" Ferrous asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"No, but I do enjoy looking at your ears," she said, hopping off the counter.

"What?"

"It has nice benefits."

"Didn't you say something about my ears?"

"Yeah, they don't hear properly."

"Funny."

"Do you think we'll make any money off this junk?" asked Fey, dusting off another textbook.

"It's not junk. These are antiques!"

"Antique junk?"

"Okay, are we done now?"

"Come on, I just want to tease you a little more."

"Not a chance. We've still got to sort this jun- stuff, and put it on display."

"I can't play with you anymore?"

"No."

"How 'bout later?"

"We'll see. First I need you to take care of these boxes!

^.^

"Welcome home, mum," said Lupe as Sapphire opened the front door. "What did Mr. Ferrous want?"

"He was busy, so I'm going to talk to him tomorrow. Did you and your sister finish your assignments?"

"I'm a bit confused about the fifth equation."

"Which one is that?"

"11X+39X=i."

"Lupe, that one's simple."

"For you, maybe."

"Okay, let's start from the beginning…"


	4. Chapter 4

1.4 Doughy Whiskers

Reach for the stars.

_Saria Starcatcher, Cait Sith Empress of the woodlands, Starcatcher family motto_

It had been nearly a week since the shop had held its open house. It had been successful, bringing the shop back from the brink of bankruptcy, not that such things held much importance for Lupe, who was much more interested in climbing trees, swimming in rivers, and skipping stones, as is typical of children. Lupe was not, in the strictest sense, a child anymore, but she didn't care.

"I beat you! I beat you!"

"You got lucky," panted Cherry, pulling herself onto the marked branch.

"Lucky my furry little tail. I won!"

"Fine, you won, great."

"Woohoo! What should we do next? It's your turn to pick."

"Hmm… Let's go visit Silver. He's still sick."

"That's so-oo-oo sweet, sis! Trolling for a boyfriend?"

"Of course not! We're both friends with him after all!" cried Cherry.

"Yup, you like him. If you didn't, you wouldn't overreact like that."

Cherry winced. Lupe sometimes demonstrated an annoying perceptiveness.

"Whatever, I don't care. If you want to visit him, then that's what we'll do."

Silver was sitting up in bed, reading a copy of "Der Löwe, die Hexe, und der Schrank." He looked up when they entered and shut his book.

"Hello, Cherry," he said happily.

"Hiya, Silver," chirped Lupe.

"How're ya doin'?" asked Cherry.

"Better. I still feel pretty weak, though."

"Let's hope you were fully recovered from that pneumonia."

"Your mum says I should be fine. She'd know if it were anything serious."

"Right," Cherry nodded.

"What'cha readin'?" asked Lupe, picking up the book. "A novel, huh? Is this a romance?"

"No, it's a fantasy-action-adventure about four humans travelling to another world where they help the people who are under the thrall of an evil sorceress."

"Sounds boring. I prefer The Tales of Reynard, but I guess you can read what you want," said Lupe, shrugging.

"Reynard the Fox? You find _that_ entertaining?" said Cherry. "That's so childish."

"Didn't I tell you not to insult my graceful landmasses?" Lupe said peevishly.

Silver began to blush.

"Sorry, Silver," muttered Cherry. "My little sis is kinda bratty."

"Hey!"

"It's okay."

"What?" exclaimed Lupe.

"Honestly, Lupe, you cause so many-"

"I do? At least my first phase wasn't during prayer."

Silver set to making a tremendous production of moving around his water glass and book as noisily as he could.

"_My_ phase? Yours was in the middle of the Samhain feast!" retaliated Cherry.

"Way to bring that up! You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

Had they forgotten he was in the room?

"You pretended you were stabbed and smeared blood all over me!"

Yup.

"That's it. I'm outta here," said Lupe, storming out of the room.

"Good-**BYE**!" shouted Cherry, spinning around breathing heavily.

She opened her eyes and noticed Silver sitting there with a rather traumatized look on his face.

"Oh. You heard that. Sorry. My sis and I don't always get along."

"It's fine, just fine."

After half a minute of silent blushing, Cherry broke the silence.

"I brought you some biscuits! That's why I came over here in the first place."

"I can tell."

"Eh? What, can you smell them from up here? I left them downstairs."

"No, it's just that you've got a bit of dough on your cheek, there," he said, brushing it off.

"Thanks," said Cherry, touching his hand before he moved it back. "So you're really reading that fantasy tale?"

"Yeah, and it's pretty good."

"Looks like it's written in some funny language. Isn't this one of those old ones used in the temples?"

"Uh-huh. It's really old. My da doesn't even know where it's from."

"Should you really be reading this? I mean, my mum told me these kinds of words can _cause_ things."

"Words can cause a lot of things. Saying "die Tür ist kaputt" won't break the door."

"Silver!" cried the startled Cherry.

"See? Nothing happened. Honestly, Cherry, you're a little too uptight sometimes."

"Am I?" she asked, throat hairs quivering.

"Well, not really, no."

Cherry's throat hair lowered significantly.

"How about those biscuits now, yes?" she suggested.

Cherry fetched the biscuits and returned to Silver's room with them.

"They've got raisins in them."

"Great! These are my favorite kind!"

Silver took a bite out of a biscuit. He cringed for a moment, then smiled wide.

"How does it taste?"

"Wonderful. Really wonderful. Where did you learn to make these?"

"Mum showed us how. It's very simple really. Is something wrong? You're shaking all over."

"I'm just a bit cold. I'm fine, really."

"That's no good. You're ill, you need to be plenty warm."

"So?"

"I'll get you another blanket. They're in the closet, right?"

"Right."

Cherry opened the door and rummaged through the closet until she found a rather old red blanket.

"Here we go."

"That old thing? My granddad made that for my mum when she was little."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize it had such history."

"A blanket's a blanket. Might as well use it."

"Practical," said Cherry, unfolding it. "What a pretty design!"

In the middle of the sheet was a large knotted pattern which was so convoluted that it was impossible to tell where it ended or began.

"Yeah, family crest," said Silver, taking another bite of biscuit without thinking and shivered again.

"Don't get crumbs all over it. That would be a fine mess, wouldn't it?"

"Actually, my stomach feels a bit weak. I probably shouldn't eat any more right now."

They chatted for awhile longer, but twenty minutes later, Cherry had to go.

"I'll come see you again tomorrow. Bye!"

Silver waved goodbye from the window, then laid back down on his bed, setting his paw on his book. As the day came to a close, leaving Silver to his rest and the two sisters returned to their squabbling, something was amiss in the nearby town of Caina.

The fountain in Full Moon square had stopped flowing.


	5. Chapter 5

1.5 Blazing Whiskers

With quick feet, a strong heart, and an able mind, a nekomata can stand against even the most fearful of creatures.

_Tiger Whipgrass, captain of the imperial army, speaking to new recruits._

"I can, too!"

"Fancy yourself a cheetah, Lupe?" teased Cherry.

"I may not be a spotted, but I am still a far better runner than you!"

"It's always a pleasure to beat you in a race, dear sister."

"What are you girls doing?" asked Sapphire.

"We were just about to have a race," answered Cherry at the same time as Lupe said, "Cherry thinks she's really fast."

"Of course I'm fast. Here, let me prove it."

The pair crouched in a starting position, and at the count of three, took off. At first it seemed that Lupe was in the lead. She was a good eight feet in front of Cherry.

Within moments, Cherry had overtaken her. Lupe redoubled her efforts, and had almost caught up when she felt her legs give out. She spun head over heels, crashing into the ground with a loud scraping noise.

"Oh! Oh! Errrgh!" groaned Lupe, clutching at her ribs.

"Oh, dear! Are you all right?" Sapphire asked concernedly, leaping to Lupe's side.

"I think I'll be fine," murmured Lupe, inspecting the scrape on her left side.

Sapphire quickly set to picking out the bits of foreign material and licking it clean.

"What happened? Did you trip?" asked Cherry.

"No. My legs seized up. You were running so fast!"

"I suppose I've proven which of us is faster. When you feel like challenging me again, think twice. I'm off to see Silver. Later!"

"Lupe, have you ever stopped and looked at Cherry's legs? What are they like?"

"They're red."

"Indeed they are. But what else?"

"I don't know."

"Are they longer than yours?"

"Yes, I suppose they are…"

"Because she has longer legs, Cherry can run farther with less effort. Your legs are powerful, but they're still short," said Sapphire. After she had licked her side clean she continued, "You were faster at the start, but that's because you run fast all the time. You don't have very good endurance either."

"Cherry's older than me. I'll never be better than her," Lupe muttered dejectedly.

Sapphire sighed.

"Age isn't everything. You just need to practice. Run enough and you'll be faster than anyone."

"I suppose I'll have to get healed up first."

"Lupe, if you really want to be fast… I can introduce you to a great teacher. He's always been the best."

"Who is he?"

"Hazelthagar. We go way back. He's staying at Misty Meadow Inn. I'd go see him myself, but he can get a bit… boisterous."

"What about my chores and lessons?"

"We'll take care of your jobs and I'll give you your lessons when you get back."

"Thanks, Sapphie!" cried Lupe, giving her a hug.

"You'd better hurry. The village gates close at sunset. Your bag's in the parlor cabinet."

"Bye! Tell Cherry I'll beat her in a race when I get back!"

Sapphire just smiled and waved.

(Executing Task 7b. Please wait…) Son of a-

The journey took all day, and she arrived just before sunset. It wasn't difficult to find the inn; it was the only one in the town. She walked right in, as travelers are always welcome in such establishments. The innkeeper met her at the door.

"G'day, Miss. Gravy & Biscuits is the name, an' being at your service is my game. What's your pleasure?"

"Um, my name is Lupe, Mr. Biscuits-"

"_Gravy_ & Biscuits, Miss Lupe," corrected the spiky-haired pig-man.

"Sorry, sir. I came in search of someone named Hazelthagar."

The innkeeper looked around and whispered conspiratorially, "He doesn't want anyone to know he's here. How did a wee girl like you find out?"

"A friend of his sent me."

"Ah. That'll be it. Please sit here and wait. I'll send him to you directly."

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight that followed. I don't think anyone could do any better than she, as the sight of a werefiend in its prime is quite a sight. Especially when they notice that it filled the stairwell like a bear fills a cat carrier.

"A little push will do it, I think," growled Hazelthagar.

Gravy & Biscuits gave a great push and the werefiend flew down the steps to land heavily at the foot of the stairs.

"Thank you Mr. Gravy & Biscuits."

"My pleasure."

"Excuse me sir-" whispered Lupe, quite intimidated by Hazelthagar.

"Wha? Speak up, girl! I'm getting on in years, can't hear little chords like yours."

"Uh… YOU'RE BIG!"

"Heh?"

"Sorry, had to say it. Mister, could you train me to be good at running?"

"Out of the question," he said flatly.

"Say what?"

"You're too small, and I'm too busy."

"Busy with what?" asked Lupe. "We're in the middle of nowhere."

"That's none of your concern. How did you find me, anyway?"

"My auntie Sapphire told me you were staying here."

Hazelthagar stared at her, mouth agape.

"Your aunt is Sapphire?" he asked incredulously.

"Um… yes."

There was a moment in which the tension of the room was like a steel cord pulled to breaking point.

"That old girl's still hanging on, then, hmm? I suppose she told you I was some kind of roguish fiend who could lift mountains in his prime or some such, am I right?"

"N-Not really…"

"You'll have to speak up, little kitty! If Sapphire really did send you, then I guess I can take some time out of my busy schedule to give you a few tips. All right, outside," he ordered.

A few minutes later, in the village square, Lupe squared off with Hazelthagar.

"First, 300 lunges," said Hazelthagar.

"I'm sorry, I must have misheard you. How many lunges did you say?"

"500."

"That's absurd! And besides, it says right up there that you said 300! That's a lot of typos!"

"500? I could do that with one leg. If you want to be any good, I'd recommend at least 1000."

"What in the world?" Lupe cried in disbelief.

"See? You just throw yourself forward and land on one leg, then lower yourself into a kneeling position without letting your leg touch the ground."

"Not what I meant. Isn't this the least bit crazy?"

"You think? This is my daily routine."

"So this is what Sapph meant…"

Three days later.

"Lupe! There you are! Where have you been?" asked Cherry.

They were in front of the house, it was late in the afternoon, and Sapphire was humming happily to herself as she watched from a second floor window.

"I've been off training! Ready for a race?"

"I'm ready to win again, what's the destination?"

"Saimon's house."

"You're on! Ready, set, go!" shouted Cherry.

"Oh dear, I hope neither gets hurt," said Sapphire with a shake of her head. "Hmm, I feel as though I'm forgetting something."

The salmon in the oven was burnt that evening.


	6. Chapter 6

1.6 Clipped Whiskers

My tail's on fire! My tail's on fire! My tail's on fire!

_Nen'tan the Traitor, former general, excuse for fleeing the Battle of Shennon._

"The moon is really pretty, isn't it, Silver?"

"Sure is."

Cherry smiled sadly. Silver's illness still left him confined to his bed. He seemed to sleep more and more each day. She wouldn't admit it to even herself, but Cherry was getting worried.

"The world is always moving, changing. Even the moon. Thank you for being my anchor, Cherry."

_The next morning…_

"What did he _mean_ by that?"

"It's really rather poetic."

"Am I getting fat?" panicked Cherry.

"If I were you, I wouldn't worry too much about…"

"I am fat!"

"So any affectionate meaning for anchor is right out the window, is it?"

"Gotta lose weight fast! Calisthenics, palates, squats… Saimon, you'll have to excuse me. I need to get in a jog!" Cherry shouted and dashed off.

"Cute kid," Saimon observed and shook his head.

Not that he had time to get wrapped up in the affairs of others.

"Good morning, Saimon."

"Good morning. How's the ferrying fairing?"

"Fine. Any luggage?"

"Just my bag, but I can get that."

"Nonsense. You are my passenger, you don't have to lift a thing until you set foot on dry land again."

"My thanks. What's that?"

"Eh? Oh, that. I found it in Ferrous's shop. It's a mill. When you turn the crank, milk and herrings come out, but the darn thing is rusty and keeps jamming."

"That's too bad. My granny had one, once upon a time. Except hers was green and about twice as big."

"Seems like they're making everything smaller these days."

"Heh. Even antiques."

"Right," laughed the ferryman. "I'm going to pick some oil up from the metal shop later today."

"Have you been there recently?"

"No, why?"

"He's got an enormous gaudy skull hanging over the shopfront now. Wait until you see it. It's really something."

"I'll be sure to keep an eye open for it. Ah, we're here."

The ferry bumped lightly against the dock.

"Three pennies."

"Here you go."

"Thanks. See you later."

"Bye!"

Saimon waved and walked away with bag in hand. The ferryman had seemed cheerful enough. Maybe the strange events in his brother's letter… No, it was best to be ready for anything. He switched the bag to his other shoulder. He was in for a long day of training. The clearing where he trained was only a bit further.

It was in a secluded clearing near the stump of the great willow that he trained. The willow had fallen down years ago and he, Saimon, had been on the team hired to cut it up. Now it was the perfect place to swing his axe. He had spent a few weeks making targets and dummies to use and an obstacle course to run. The project that had taken the longest to complete was the miniature dam that stopped up the water from a nearby minor stream so that it formed a shallow pool before it continued on to the river. This made a great bathing pool that he could take a break in during the hottest part of the day.

He made it to the clearing in time to get two hours of swinging, running, and jumping in before lunch. He started on the throwing range. He threw the axe at the target, flicking his wrist at the end of the throw so that it spun just the right amount to lodge the axe in the wood. After he had made two dozen new notches in the target, he moved on to the obstacle course. Two practice runs later, he had donned his armor. After the seventh lap, he began chopping fallen trees. The metal collar, bracers, and heart shield had begun to chafe, so he went through his technique practice quickly.

As always, the spring water was refreshing to body and spirit. It was cool, but not cold. He was not happy to leave it so soon, but he had business in town, and it could not wait. As he prepared to leave his clearing, he saw something odd. There was a shadow looming all about the stump. The sun was far above, at the zenith of its daily journey. Saimon stepped carefully on the shadow. It didn't feel different, but now his foot was also veiled from the sun. He stepped fully into the shade. Still nothing. He looked around. The shadow's shape suggested a large disk. He looked up. There was nothing but sky. However, the sun didn't seem as bright as it should have.

Something wet touched his foot.

"Agh!" cried Saimon, leaping back.

There was water trickling through the grass. It was moving outward from the stump. At first he kept his distance, but curiosity got the better of him and he stepped closer. The top of the stump, the one he had helped cut apart, was leaking water. Hesitantly, he reached out and touched the weeping stump. He cried out as his whole body was set aflame. The world whirled. Every nerve hissed and sparked in that single instant and he was thrown back, smoking, out of the shadow.

For the longest time, he couldn't move. All he could do was lie there and now and again twitch. After several minutes he managed to move a finger. He couldn't feel it, which was a bad sign, but he had hope. As he lay there, fighting to move, the only thing he could think of was what he had seen in that thunderflash. It was an otherworldly being. Pale rose skin, budding brown hair, and broad tawny wings. Far more startling had been the emotion. It was like he was feeling pain and sadness in stereo.

Whatever this creature had been, it was dead now. That fact was undeniable in the same way that one knows truth. For whatever reason, it was here. There was something terribly wrong. Saimon had to warn the village. He found that he could twitch his whiskers now and another finger could move. He urged his body to recover quicker. A full hour later, he had the use of one hand. His arm was far to heavy for it to move, though. He heard a rustling noise. So he could hear again.

Something landed behind him with a soft "thwup."

Saimon urged his muscles to work, struggled with all his might to turn his neck. The soft rustling again. A rook landed softly before him and looked him over. Saimon froze. It hopped a bit closer. The beak open and closed. A small tongue twitched within the beak. It hopped forward.

Saimon lunged for it with his hand, and grabbed hold of its tail. With a startled cry, the rook took off. Saimon could see it still with one eye. It was perched in the tree right above him. Clearly it thought him close to cashing in his chips. He lay quiet, twitching his numb fingers. The hours stretched on and the rook waited patiently as the day passed and night set in.


End file.
